Thomson

It’s a heck of a way to run a pre-election campaign. On the eve of an expected election, politicians usually spend their time playing up good news, downplaying the bad, shaking hands and kissing babies.

Photos: A visit to the capital of the Crimean Khanite

Bakhchysarai is home to the Khan's Palace and was the capital of the Crimean Khanite, the state of Crimean Tatars, for three and a half centuries until it finally came under Russian rule. Traces of its Tatar past are accessible to visitors.

A house with a terraced garden overlooks the historic district in Bakhchysarai, Ukraine. Bakhchysarai is home to the Khan's Palace, also called Hansaray, and was the capital of the Crimean Khanite, the state of Crimean Tatars, for three and a half centuries until it finally came under Russian rule in 1783. Today Tatars, who are mostly Muslims, make up approximately 12% of the Crimean population.